Roller for stretching material



Filed March 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENT'OR A001. F BISRNG '61 WWW! W July 16, 1968 A. BISANG ROLLER FOR STRETCHING MATERIAL 2 Sheets-Sheet #3 Filed March 9, 1966 INVENTOR RDOLF BISHNG MMMMM MW United States Patent 3,392,431 ROLLER FOR STRETCHING MATERIAL Adolf Bisang, Uzwil, Saint Gall, Switzerland, assignor to Maschinenfabrik Benninger AG, Uzwil, Saint Gall, Switzerland Filed Mar. 9, 1966, Ser. No. 533,003 Claims priority, application Switzerland, Mar. 12, 1965, 3,489/ 65 3 Claims. (Cl. 26-63) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A roller for stretching fabrics includes a stationary axle member and a flexible surrounding sheath which is rotatable :about the axle member and which is supported on the axle member by supporting members which are axially spaced along the axle member and which may be shifted to vary the circumferential supporting surfaces both as to radial extent of projection and as to inclination.

Summary of the invention This invention relates, in general, to the construction of textile treatment rollers and particularly to a new and useful textile width stretching roller which includes a circumferential sheath or cover with means separately supporting the sheath for rotation at distinct axial locations which may be adjusted for supporting the sheath at distinct inclinations.

The present invention is directed, in particular, to the construction of rollers which are capable of producing width-wise stretching effects on materials such as fabrics, for example. Such rollers are called full width rollers and serve to stretch the width of fabric webs which are directed over them. Rollers of this type are known which include a rubber or similar elastic covering which is mounted on a spring skeleton by means of ball or roller bearings which are arranged to rotate on a single curved shaft. By mounting the spring elements on the curved shaft, one half portion of the roller continuously stretches in its length, while the opposite portion continuously shortens. The curved shaft of such constructions, however, is likely to produce weft distortions in the fabric, especially in the case of delicate fabrics. Similar rollers are known which include the outer sheath or covering arranged on a spring skeleton which rotates on a straight rather than on a curved shaft. In such a construction, toggle disks at the shaft ends compress the spring skeleton in a longitudinal direction with every revolution as the roller rotates or acts to bring the construction back to its original position upon relief of the load. Other type rollers which are known are those which are full width rollers having control disks at the shaft ends which are connected together by rubber cables or springs which extend along the generatrices. The outer rubber sheath rests on the generatrices of the construction and during the rotation of the roller it is stretched by the oblique position of the control disks or brought into a basic position. Rollers designed in this manner have the advantage that by adjustment of the oblique position of the two control disks at the shaft ends, the width-wise stretching effect can be varied linearly. Depending on the weave or construction of the fabric to be stretched, it is often desirable to obtain a width-wise stretching effect bearing over the Width of the web. For example, it may be desirable to stretch certain zones along the width of the fabric more than others, for example, the end ones rather than the central ones.

It is possible, in accordance with the inventive construction, to provide means for effecting selective stretching of the fabric across its entire width. This is accomplished by mounting an outer peripheral sheath which 3,392,431 Patented July 16, 1968 may comprise either a single resilient element or a plurality of interconnected elements in a manner such that portions thereof along the axis of the roller or across the width may be varied in rotatable mounting inclination.

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a textile fabric stretching roller is provided which includes an outer rubber sheath which may be made up of a rubber element of single width or a plurality of sectionalized rubber elements which are supported upon roller bearings to permit rotation of the sheath about a rigid central axle member or rod. A feature of the construction is that the roller bearings are mounted on individual ring members having outer or peripheral surfaces of varying inclination, and these rings members are positioned along the shaft at desired locations in order to effect the desired inclination of the sheath during its rotation at a particular point along the axis of the rotating roller thus formed.

In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, the outer roller sheath comprises a plurality of interconnected ring elements which are advantageously driven from one end of the roll by a gear member and which are individually supported on roller bearings which may be adjustably positioned on curved portions of a fixed hollow mounting axle member or rod. A feature of this construction is that means are provided for shifting the roller bearings about respective separate curved portions of the fixed axle member in order to vary the inclination of the outer periphery thereof and thus vary the inclination which the outer sheath will assume when it rotates. The control means envisioned includes a control rod member which is displaceable within the hollow axle member and which includes a camming surface for each roller bearing. A follower member connected to the roller bearing rides on the camming surface :and will be shifted in accordance with which surface it is in contact in order to shift the position of the roller bearing with respect to the curved portion of the axle member.

Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a roller for producing a width-wise stretching of material such as textiles or fabrics having van outer sheath for producing the width-wise stretching effect which is supported at several axial locations across its width in a manner which permits the adjustment of the rotational support in order to vary the inclination thereof for the purpose of achieving desired stretching effects.

A further object of the invention is to provide a stretching roller which includes an outer sheath of a rubber material which is mounted on spaced roller bearing members which are carried on a fixed rod member and with ring means supporting the roller bearing members permitting support of the individual roller bearing elements so that their outer peripheral supporting surfaces for the sheath will be at distinct or preselected inclinations.

A further object of the invention is to provide a stretching roller having an outer sheath formed of a plurality of interconnecting metal elements each of which may be varied with respect to inclination in order to produce desired stretching effects.

A further object of the invention is to provide a means for controlling peripheral portions of a rotating roller across the axis thereof in order to provide supporting peripheral portions of select inclinations for achieving special stretching effects.

A further object of the invention is to provide a stretching roller which is simple in design, rugged in construction and economical to manufacture.

The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its use, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated and described preferred embodiments of the invention.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a transverse sectional view of a portion of a stretching roller constructed in accordance with the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 of another embodiment of the invention.

Referring to the drawings, in particular, the invention embodied therein in FIG. 1 comprises a stretching roller which includes a rigid axle member or rod 3 which is supported at one end on a wall 1 by means of a bearing member or bracket 2. An end spacer sleeve 50 is fitted over the axle member 3 and is held in the bracket along with the axle member by means of a set screw or holding bolt 52. The opposite end of the axle member 3 (not shown) is similarly mounted.

In accordance with the invention, the stretching roller indicated in FIG. 1 includes a plurality of ring members of distinct construction which are arranged at selected intervals and at selected locations along the axial length of the axle member 3. In the embodiment shown, there are five ring members which are arranged at one end of the axle member 3 marked 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, and a similar arrangement may be provided on the other end of the shaft 3 which is not indicated. Each of the ring members 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 includes roller bearing support surfaces 4a, 5a, 6a, 7a and 8a, respectively, which permit mounting of roller bearing assemblies 10 at distinct inclinations so that their outer peripheral bearing surfaces provide distinct inclined surfaces for an outer sheath member 13. The arrangement provides variations of the angle of support of the sheath 13 from the vertical as indicated by the angles shown in FIG. 1. The sheath 13 is of tubular construction and is advantageously of elastic material, for example rubber, and it may, for example, be wound over the surface of supporting ring elements or rings 12 which are secured to the outer races 11 of the ball bearings 10. The ball bearings 10 include rollers or balls and an inner race 9 which is positioned on the surface of one of the ring members 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8. The sheath 13 is applied over the surfaces of the rings 12 in such a manner that the whole of each supporting ring 12 and the axial distances between rings are bridged.

At the ends of the roller structure there is provided a flange member 14 which includes a supporting surface 14a similar to the rings 12 but which also functions as a means together with a clamping element 54 for securing the ends of the sheath 13. A packing 15 is disposed between the flange 14 and the ring 4 and prevents the entrance of liquid into the space between the axle member 3 and the sheath 13.

The width-wise stretching effect on the fabric or textile material is produced by the roller by the action of the supporting rings 12 which function to support the outer sheath on the ball bearings 10 in different planes or inclinations in respect to the axis of the axle member 3. In the example shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings, the supporting surfaces 4a, 5a, 6a, 7a and 8a are such that the angle of inclination of support increases from the center toward the end, as indicated by the angles a, ,8, 'y, and 6. It should be appreciated that this inclination will be determined by the surface 4a of the ring member which is selected and its orientation along the axis of the axle member 3. Spacers 56 determine the spacing of the individual roller bearing supports. Any number of arrangements may be possible. For example, with a roller having eight rings on each side of the center thereof, the inclination of each ring proceeding away from the center may be made 1 degree more than that of the next adjacent ring. In such a manner, the outermost ring will have an inclination of 8.

When a web is passed over the roller, the sheath 13 is set in rotation about the axle member 3 by the friction between the web and the sheath surface. Due to the inclination of the supporting rings 12, the length of each generatrix of the sheath 13 is varied with every revolution uniformly between a minimum and a maximum and back to a minimum and thereby the width-wise stretching effect is produced. This effect can be made greater or smaller by selecting the inclination of each individual supporting ring 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, so that the stretching effect can be adapted in accordance with the web to be stretched and may be controlled in different zones along the width thereof. For example, certain of these zones can be stretched more than others, or less, regardless of the positions of the zones with respect to the center or ends of the roller.

The stretching rollers of the kind described in FIG. 1 are preferably used where a surface may be formed with a rubber sheath such as the sheath 13. The embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is preferable when the web to be stretched is dry or only wetted with a liquid which does not interfere with the gripping action of the sheath, that is, does not impair adhesion of the web on the rubber sheath surface. There are, however, known treatment liquids which make a rubber surface so slippery that even if it should be roughened, widthwise stretching is impossible. In such case, and especially for rollers which are used with mercerizing machines, the roller surface is formed by metal bodies having a roughened surface.

In FIG. 2, an example of a roller constructed in this manner is shown. The construction includes a stationary hollow pipe or axle member 20 having axially spaced curved surfaces 21 defined along the length thereof upon which ring members 22 are positionable. The ring members 22 have concave surfaces complementary to the curved surfaces 21. At the rings 22 are secured the inner races 23 of commercial ball bearings 24 which include outer races 25. The outer races 25 are connected to substantially T-shaped engaging members or support elements 26. A support element 26 includes interengaging end portions or teeth 27 which engage similar teeth of the next adjacent elements. The end-engaging element 26 is connected to a connecting member 60 which is secured to a gear member 29 having peripheral gear teeth which are engaged by a driving gear (not shown). The adjacent ends of the members 26 are also interconnected by cover members 38 which project over the gear portions. A housing 30 is affixed to the hollow axle member 20 and covers the gear 29. When the gear 29 is rotated by the driving gear (not shown), it rotates on ball bearings 33 which are fitted over the stationary hollow member 20. The gear 29 drives the engaging elements 26 and also a sheath member composed of a plurality of interconnecting rings 32 and an end ring member 32'. The individual sheath ring members 32 are individually supported on the individual engaging members 26. In the embodiment illustrated, the ring members 32 are connected to the engaging members 26 by a through bolt or screw, for example. The adjacent sheath rings 32 also interengage at their ends in such a manner that over their entire circumference they form outer surfaces of a sheath of the roller indicated. The projections 38 provide sealing means between adjacent engaging members 26 and thereby prevent the penetration of treatment liquid into the ball bearings 24.

As in the other embodiment, the inclination of the individual sheath supporting engaging elements 26 and thus the individual sheath rings 32 may be varied at distinct locations along the length of the fixed member 20. A further improvement of this embodiment, however, is that means are provided for automatically adjusting the inclination. Such means include a control rod member 35 which may be moved, for example, automatically during the operation of the device by connecting means (not shown). The rod includes a plurality of inclined portions or cam portions 35a which provide control surfaces which may be shifted in respect to follower members 36 which are connected to the rings 22.

The follower members 36 extend through openings in the hollow member 20 adjacent each of the curved surfaces 21. The lowermost ends thereof include rollers which bear on the cam surfaces 35a. Shifting of the rod member 35 will therefore cause a shifting of the support rings 22 and thus vary the inclination at which the engaging members 26 and the outer rings 32 are disposed. Thus, the inclination of the sheath rings 32 may be varied simultaneously over the full length of the roller and even during the rotation of the roller. By a suitable predetermined configuration of the inclined surfaces 35a, each sheath ring 32 can be inclined by a value correlated to it alone.

The construction indicated in FIG. 2 makes it possible to provide for universal use of the roller. For certain types of fabrics or weaves, a certain rod configuration 35 can be produced so that the adjustment of the supporting rollers 37 may be in accordance with the particular design of the rods. The rods 35 may be manufactured for each fabric being treated in order to provide a separate and distinct treatment for the fabric which by experience is best suited to it. A further possibility with the rollers of the invention is that a single roller may be used, for example, for the treatment of a plurality of webs which may be directed over separate portions of the treating roller, for example. In such a case, in the embodiment of FIG. 2, the roller would be designed to permit inclination in accordance with the desired treatment at several stations across the width of the roller.

The rapid and easy adjustability of the width-wise stretching effect which may be produced on the fabric permits a fully automatic setting of the stretching of fabric material with small tolerances.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the inventive principles, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.

What is claimed is:

1. A roller for stretching material such as fabric, comprising a stationary axle member, a surrounding sheath rotatable about said stationary axle member, sheath-supporting members located at axially spaced locations along said axle member and defining an outer circumferential supporting surface, and separate mounting means for each sheath-supporting member for mounting said sheath-supporting members for rotation about said axle member in predetermined planes, said mounting means and said sheath-supporting members being constructed to permit selection of the radial location of the circumferential supporting surfaces of each sheath-supporting member and the variation of inclination of each sheath-supporting member with respect to the axle of said axle member, control means for varying the inclination of said sheathsupporting members, said control means being adjustable during operation and including a control rod s'hiftable with respect to said stationary axle member, said stationary axle member having curved surfaces defined at spaced axial locations along the length thereof, said sheath-supporting members including a ring which is supported on each of the curved surfaces of said stationary axle member, and cam means associated with each said ring and engageable with said control rod and being shiftable thereby with said sheath-supporting members for shifting the angle of inclination of said sheath-supporting members.

2. A roller for stretching material such as fabric, comprising a stationary axle member, a surrounding sheath rotatable about said stationary axle member, sheath-supporting members located at axially spaced locations along said axle member and defining an outer circumferential supporting surface, and separate mounting means for each sheath-supporting member for mounting said sheathsupporting members for rotation about said axle member in predetermined planes, said mounting means and said sheath-supporting members being constructed to permit selection of the radial location of the circumferential supporting surfaces of each of said sheath-supporting members and the variation of inclination thereof with respect to the axle of said axle member, said axle member being hollow, a control rod slidable in said hollow axle member, said hollow axle member having curved surfaces defined at spaced axial locations along the length thereof, said sheath-supporting members including a ring which is supported on each of the curved surfaces of said hollow axle member, and cam means connected to each said ring and actuable by said control rod for shifting said rings and varying the inclination of said sheath-supporting members.

3. A roller according to claim 2, wherein each of said sheath-supporting members further include a roller hearing assembly with an inner fixed race and an outer rotatable race, and an engaging member carried by the outer race of said roller bearing assembly, said inner race of said roller bearing assembly resting on a corresponding one of said rings, adjacent ones of said engaging members being interengaged along the length of said roller to form the sheath.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 281,503 7/1883 Hawthorn et al. 2663 1,716,555 6/1929 Kane 26-63 1,738,700 12/1929 Hadwin 2663 2,823,443 2/ 1958 Umstott 2663 3,330,456 7/ 1967 Umstott 2663 FOREIGN PATENTS 7,944 1909 Great Britain. 11,654 1906 Great Britain. 18,196 1914 Great Britain. 84,434 3/ 1920 Switzerland.

ROBERT R. MACKEY, Primary Examiner. 

